Breaking: Wike, Fubara Hold Meeting Shortly After River Governorship Election Withdrawal
- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike hosted Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara at his Port Harcourt residence on Sunday
- The meeting is the first reported between the former political rivals since Fubara withdrew from the 2027 governorship race
- APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda and reconciliation committee chairman Magnus Abe were also present at the meeting
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike received Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara at his Port Harcourt home on Sunday, marking what sources described as their first face-to-face encounter since Fubara stepped back from the 2027 governorship contest.
The visit brought together several key figures in Rivers politics. Wike was flanked by Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, and Magnus Abe, who heads the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee.
Source: Twitter
Former APC deputy national chairman Sam Jaja accompanied Fubara to the meeting.
Background to the Wike-Fubara Rift
Relations between Wike and Fubara, once political allies, broke down shortly after Fubara took office as governor in 2023.
The fallout triggered a prolonged crisis that divided Rivers State along factional lines, with impeachment proceedings launched against Fubara by lawmakers aligned with Wike.
The crisis deepened to the point where President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in the state.
A truce was eventually reached, with Fubara crossing to the APC and throwing his support behind the Rainbow Coalition, which Wike backs. A reconciliation committee was then set up under Abe to bring Fubara's camp formally into the fold.
Fubara Backs Chinda for 2027
Since reconciling with Wike's camp, Fubara has publicly endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor for the 2027 governorship election and called on his supporters to back President Tinubu for a second term.
Fubara had initially entered the APC governorship screening process alongside Chinda but later withdrew, saying the decision was in the interest of peace and unity in Rivers State. With Fubara out of the race, Chinda ran as the sole aspirant and was subsequently ratified as the party's governorship candidate.
Sunday's meeting signals that both sides are pressing ahead with efforts to cement the reconciliation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fubara makes new appointments
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Governor Siminalayi Fubara approved six new Permanent Secretary appointments into the Rivers State Civil Service, with a swearing-in ceremony already scheduled for later this month.
Head of Service Inyingi Brown announced the appointments in an official statement, naming the six individuals as Freddy Ndigbara, Fortune Akpila, Promise Oguzie, Ibisoye Lolomari Nwankwo, Ibiyemiebara Joseph Uzoma, and Mercy Dagogo Iboroma.
Source: Legit.ng
